A consul's tasks

Consular functions consist mainly in protecting in the receiving State the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, both individuals and bodies corporate, and furthering the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific relations between the sending State and the receiving State and otherwise promoting friendly relations between them.

Article 5 of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations gives a full enumeration of a consul’s tasks. Download (PDF)

The majority of honorary consuls accredited to the Netherlands have functions by reason of trade facilitating and business development and in the field of cultural and scientific cooperation, in a consular district that is limited to one or several provinces.

Formal statute of a consul